Curators Create Second Biennial Exhibit

4TH FLOOR GALLERY

January 18 – March 1, 2019

Opening reception Friday, January 18 | 7-10 PM

Locally and globally, curators create compelling experiences of art, culture, and creativity that change how people understand themselves and the world by stimulating new perspectives, ideas, and feelings. – From the mission statement of the Association of Art Museum Curators (Aamc)

Although Aamc represents art museum curators, its mission statement can be seen as an aspirational description of curatorial work in general, including that done at colleges/ universities, galleries and art centers.

BLACK CREATIVITY: Artists, Aesthetics and Movements - opening during Black History Month - is a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring the work of artists who have developed and explored themes that touch upon both the historical and contemporary in pushing their respective practices. This exhibition is a dedicated space in celebration of the creative process from visual voices who present a range of points of views on relevancy, social justice, agency and currency, the built environment, intersectionality, identity, materials, urban life, and gender. While supporting living emergent and established artistic perspectives, BLACK CREATIVITY also intends to showcase creative contributions by no longer living artist Wesley Willis, as a way to share their arts practice with a broader public.

In honor of The Black Student Union (BSU) formation at Indiana University Northwest (IUN) in 1969, BSU President Toni Dickerson will present archival images and documents collected from campus staff and the Calumet Regional Archives in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Ivy Tech Community College in Michigan City has started displaying artwork from local artists in hallways and other public spaces on its campus. Jesse Johnson, he owner of BESS Art Exposure Gallery in Merrillville and an arts professor at Ivy Tech curated the college’s first annual Winter Art Exhibition which is being displayed throughout the building. The campus is displaying the work of Johnson, Emily Dyrek Maurice Hodo, Valerie Johnsen, and Mark McPhail, who are all local painters or photographers.

On February 23rd you will have a very special chance to do some serious contemplation of the unbounded and variously focused work of Ken Wolak and Rick Therrio in a duo show opening at Paul Henry's Art Gallery, "Cogitating the Inscrutable," 2-7PM.

And a big plus, the Cosmically Adjacent sound of musician Q Kiser.

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Rick Therrio has been a Chicago artist for many years. He exhibited publicly throughout the 80’s and 90’s at galleries such as World Tattoo and Art-o-Rama and was part of the collaborative known as The Colson Truck Group who staged monthly shows at a jazz club on Division Street ‘The Bop Shop’ in addition to organizing their own exhibitions. For 12 years or so, beginning in 200 Rick focused on producing work and had little enthusiasm for finding venue’s to exhibit in. For the last 10 years he has worked in Prismacolor colored pencil and pencil, sometimes using graphical software on a computer to manipulate his work. In 2012 he moved from Humboldt Park in Chicago to Lansing, IL and joined Paul Henry's Art Gallery where he has exhibited his colored pencil drawings, oil paintings, painted lamps, and work produced on a Wacom tablet. He served 4 years working with Jen Jackson and others, organizing shows with the South Lake Artist’s Co-op. Most recently, he was chosen to be the debut artist for Art-O-Rama Online Gallery which can be found at aor.gallery. His imagery has evolved from a wide variety of sources, music, films, literature, comics, history, and science fiction. He finds an inexhaustible source of humor in the absurdity of existence.

CONTACT:Rick Therriortherrio@sbcglobal.net

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Ken Wolak has been a professional artist for the past thirty-five years. He has ventured down many different roads of the visual arts field, working in design, advertising, movies, comics, and at present, fine art. His philosophy on life is simple:” Every new road is an adventure. Don’t settle for just one.” He can be contacted at https://www.facebook.com/artistkenwolak

Monday, February 25, 20194:30 - 6:30 p.m.remarks at 5 p.m.refreshments will be servedfree and open to the public

curated by Susan Aurinko

Exhibition Dates:January 16 - March 14, 2019E/F Corridor "Big Walls Gallery"Because this exhibit is in the public spaces at GSU, it can be viewed any time the campus is open.

The Great Migration was the movement of over 6 million African-Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that occurred between 1910's and 1970's. In those decades American culture shifted greatly as a result of this vast expansion of family and tradition.

I am exploring this piece of American history through the portrait. The portrait (whether painted or photographed) has long been considered a symbol of status. At the turn of the century Kodak introduced the Brownie, a personal camera that made the portrait and other types of photography available for working class families. With this camera people were now able to capture their own experiences and craft their own images to tell the story of their lives. 100 years later, these very images and those to follow for the next 60 years will serve as inspiration for my project. Using donated and found family images, I will be retracing the steps, moments and experiences of the great migration.

The Blackbird, Crow & Raven are closely interlinked and deeply interwoven in the myth and lore of the world. These birds have been seen and depicted as powerful forces in almost every major culture recorded. An allegorical symbol often used as a placeholder for people, the bird embodies the idea of freedom. The 20th centuries newfound freedom of movement across the country would come to shape the cultures of both the cities: those left behind and those settled into.

We live a life of cycles. What was old becomes new again, what is new becomes old. "Modern" styles come and go through the decades with newer styles soon taking center stage while the old still has interest and value, becoming collectibles. If we consider people, some are given emeritus status and become sages and mentors. Exhibited work will depict one or more of these stages – grandparent with baby, antique or resale shops, plants, pets, furniture or clothing may comprise the body of this exhibit.